1 comments about Antique Trader Oriental Antiques & Art: An Identification and Price Guide.

1. Lots of example values of pieces. Few have pictures, and even fewer have color pics. The listings are organized by category, but beyond that the details are buried in text and could have been better-separated. (I.e. having date and location of manufacture called out would be helpful.)
   
   I have a particular example--Chinese cloisonne pieces of particular ages have hand-written "China" on the bottom, while others have stamped "China" instead. This book does not clarify which mark identifies which era.
   
   This sort of thing definitely could use digitization. I would *love* to be able to search the entire text with keywords. I am a collector of Chinese pieces with bats. These pieces range from cloisonne to porcelains.
   
   I do appreciate identification guides for "signatures" and makers marks. I would have appreciated a guide to identifying fakes, as many of these items are faked on a regular basis.

5 comments about Boyds Tracker Plush: Value Guide, Second Edition, Vol. 1 of 2.

1. My Boyd's Bear's book arrived very quickly and it was in excellent condition. Thank You!



2. I have been looking for a collector's guide for the last several years and stumbled across this. As soon as the book arrived I could not wait to check the secondary prices for all my "friends".
   
   This book will be a wonderful help in getting an extra rider on my homeowners policy to cover my friends should anything happen to them.
   
   The pictures and descriptions in the book are outstanding and the supplemental information is invaluable. I have several friends that have multiple looks and it helped me to distinguish between the bears that have the same name but slightly different looks.
   
   If you are looking for the ultimate collector's guide for Boyds Plush - you must get this book!!



3. This is a must for Boyds Collectors. Great pictures and great information. Love the Paw Notes. A vast improvement from the First edition.



4. I have collected Boyds Bears for years and there has been a serious gap in the Price Guide and information Guides for Boyds since Checkerbee went bust.
   This Bangzoom Tracker is FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!
   Color pictures, info, tons and tons of stuff I have and want and needed to put in some order!
   This is the way to do it with Sense and Brains!!!
   If you collect Boyds-you MUST buy this Tracker.
   Book or CD-rom; either way you need this to get your stuff organized, catagorized and listed so you know what you have and what you are looking for!
   Great Job Bethy And Bangzoom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



5. This book is an absolute must have for the true Boyds collector. It is the most accurate guide produced in years... a true Boyds encyclopedia. You won't regret the investment of this guide to find all the history behind your favorite Boyds pieces.

1 comments about Britains New Toy Soldiers, 1973 to the Present: Traditional Gloss-painted Metal Models.

1. Excellent companion resource for Opie's Britains Toy Soldiers 1893-1932 and Opie's Great Book of Britains among others. Professionally done, chock full of photos for comparison as well as captions to identify each piece or set. Fills in the years from 1973 to 2007. Not long on descriptive info beyond the identifications, but still valuable to someone looking to place a set in the proper context.

1 comments about A History of the American Locomotive: Its Development, 1830-1880 (Trains).

1. The usual superb and scholarly effort we know and love from Mr. White, yet readable and benefiting from his enormous access to the best pictures.

1 comments about Fenton Art Glass Colors and Hand-Decorated Patterns 1939-1980: Identification & Value Guide (Fenton Art Glass).

1. This is a very informative book with a detailed picture guide. Each type of glass design is expained and color pictures help in the identifcation of the glass.A price guide is also included. An excellent tool for identifying Fenton Art Glass. This book is worth the price.

5 comments about Girl Scout Collectors' Guide: A History of Uniforms, Insignia, Publications, And Memorabilia.

1. Excellent source book for anyone researching Girl Scout information and history. Fun to just "dip into" and remember the wholesome fun of being a Brownie or Girl Scout.



2. interesting book. i found most of the items i was searching for in the book.



3. Long awaited update on 1st edition. I could find very few inaccuracies



4. Please check this book out at a library or local Girl Scout Council before buying! I was disappointed because I have been searching for quite some time for information regarding four Brownie badges that I earned in the 1970s, but can't remember what they were for or how I earned them. Although this book seems well-researched and is full of interesting and little-known facts, the information I seek was not included in this book or its predecessor. Since these badges were earned within the last 35 years, I was disappointed to find no mention of them, especially when the book includes such a wealth of information regarding previous decades.



5. This is an amazing collection of information on all things about the girl scouting organization with information of program, evolution of girl scouting, uniforms, badges, age level and has information on other items used by girl scouts . I have found it very helpful in compliling my collection, which is available at www.sparklesgarden.com/patchtrading.html
   Thank you.

1 comments about Collecting Antique Marbles: Identification and Price Guide.

1. I is a good reference book for marbles. A bit dis-jointed and hard to follow. Pictures are not as clear as some other referance material but book should be in a marble collectors library.

4 comments about Collectible Pocket Knives (Collectibles).

1. Small but pretty book that will show you a lot of pretty pocket knives, mostly of European origin. If you want to see all the different types of pocket knives and how they evolved, this is an interesting book. If you are trying to learn more about American made pocket knives or identify the knife you have, this is not the book you want.



2. I disagree with the reviews of this book:
   
   Of course, it is Euro-centric in nature, with a focus
   on French regional patterns. It lacks detailed descriptions.
   It doesn't include much modern knives, and its selection
   is more interested in displaying generic modern patterns
   rather than discussing modern masters or knife-factories.
   
   Then again, this book extends Levine's small section
   on historic patterns outside the US; which is quite
   interesting and one of the few texts/images on French
   and even some South-European patterns.
   
   This is especially important when you consider that the
   so-called US-patterns from Canoe to Stockman
   (aren't those "merely" simple 19th century European patterns
   from Sheffield/Solingen!?) actually only cover a very small
   part of the spectrum from medieval patterns to industrial
   revolution patterns, both in time as well as in design space.
   
   So for me, this translation of Pascal's book nicely complemented
   Levine's Guide. However it is not about collectible US-local knives
   for the pure collector of old US patterns.
   
   So I'd like to give 6 points, to the combination
   of the 2 books, 5 points to Pascal and Levine individually,
   and deduct a point each from both the English publisher and Amazon
   for misrepresenting the nature of this book.



3. The author is French. Most of the knives are French. Although the author makes a half-hearted attempt to include international knives, it is very feeble. The American made knives are overshadowed by the French ones, because, the author chooses, for some reason (I wonder why) to include American made knives that are mostly inferior to the industry's standards. Not all of them are inferior,that's why I gave this book two stars instead of one. But the vast majority are. The French knives, on the other hand, are often far better made, or more exquisite. This is peculiar, because France has far worse knife laws than the U.S., and thus would have far less of that sort of knife. And it does. This book instils a false sense of French dominance in the cutlery industry, by giving grossly disproportionate view of the world of knives. Most of the French knives are also quite old, giving the author another chance to proclaim the vast collectability of French knives compared to other knives. If you're from France, this book will be music to your ears; otherwise don't buy it.



4. This is a collection of color photos of knives from around the world and of the last 200 or so years. As a knife collector and seller I will buy any book with knife and collectable in the title. I am usually rather harsh on books that aren't what they should be. This is not one of them. Nice pictures, most completely doped (the background is white) so there is nothing to compete with the knife. Nothing in here about collecting, buying, selling or values. Any custom knifemaker should have one of these, there are a bunch of good ideas in there. Having this book can save you tons of money travelling to museums both here and on the continent; which of course you can spend on more knives. I didn't find anything in this book that I wouldn't want to own.

5 comments about Peacemakers: Arms And Adventure In The American West.

1. As with all the author's books, this one has far too much emphasis on the fancy, special, engraved firearms.



2. This book was one of the best purchases I have ever made! Already it has given me hours of entertainment, new knowledge of the west, and new insights in areas I had not before looked into.
   
   The photography, and the items pictured, are worth the price of the book alone.
   
   Overall an excellent book!!! And worth every penny!
   
   FDL



3. The book is full of color pictures of the guns used in the west and has exhibits from many of the western museums. It is not just a study of the Colt Single Action Army but covers rifles and shotguns. It displays the guns that are documented as being used by the lawmen and gunfighters of the time.



4. Another great book from R.L. Wilson. Every bit as entertaining and informative as the others he's wrote. Fun to read about the old west and the guns used to tame it.



5. My gun loving son, cried when his teacher would not let him bring this book to school to show his friends. It's absolutely gorgeous with an interesting text and glorious photos. We love the section showing the actors and their screen guns.

1 comments about Washington Quarter Folder 1932-1947 (Official Whitman Coin Folder).

1. The Washington quarter coin folder volume 2 (1948-1964 inclusive) by Whitman, is a superb way to collect and showcase your coins. By using the lock-in feature, the coins are kept in place to prevent coin loss. Each coin slot is designated with the year, mint mark (D,P,or S)and the mintage. I particularly like the mintage, since it lets me know just how many quarters were made in one year in relation to another. It's also nice to have a brief history lesson about the Washington quarter in order to give us some appreciation of its heritage.